1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to an improved medical terminal clip member or electrical connector member for attachment to electrodes connected to a patient and, more particularly, to a medical terminal clip member that can be securely fastened to an electrode terminal post while preventing any entanglements with extraneous objects.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The increased use of electrical instrumentation in the medical field has created demands for a relatively inexpensive but reliable medical terminal clip member. Numerous forms of medical terminal clips have been proposed and are generally formed from a molded plastic body member having an embedded electrically conducting infrastructure that is exposed in a female bore or aperture for connection to a post of a medical electrode. Since a medical terminal clip is frequently part of a medical life support monitoring system and is attached directly to a patient, there has been a continued demand in the medical field to provide electrical connector members that will resist entanglement with foreign objects when the patient moves, for example, while sleeping.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,385,793 discloses one example of a medical terminal clip with an antitangle device. U.S. Pat. No. 4,390,223 discloses another electrical connector having a closed opening that supports a spring connector for contacting a grooved medical electrode post and a flexible web for preventing egress into the open legs of the connector.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,072,388 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,178,052 likewise show barriers to close the open leg portions of a medical terminal clip. U.S. Pat. No. 4,303,293 discloses a relatively elaborate connector for providing a secure fastener to an electrode post. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,200,348, 4,220,387, and 4,220,387 are cited of general interest and show other forms of medical terminal clips.
Finally, the German Pat. No. 459,552 (1926); French Pat. No. 746,326 (1932); U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,291,297; 1,294,656; 1,044,885; and 1,039,279 are cited of general interest and disclose other forms of connector members for connection to electrical terminal posts.
The medical field is still seeking to find a relatively economical, reliable and secure medical terminal clip member that can be used with confidence on a patient. Since the problems of dislodging the connection of an electrical terminal clip member from an electrode on the patient's skin is a constant and reoccurring problem, the prior art is seeking to optimize a medical terminal clip that will resolve this issue.